Box-car door.



1. P. MULLER.

BOX CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-19,1914- 1 1%4I; U%@m Patented June 22, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

Inventor Witnesses I m W I Attorneys,

-15 II1'S PETERS COUPHOTQLITHQWASH/M51001, D. C

I. P. MULLER.

BOX CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I9. I914.

1 9 14%U%& Patented June 22, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses Inventor 1H? NORRIS PETERS Ca, PHOTO-I.!1HG., WASIIINGTDN. D c.

JOHN P. M'ULLER, 0F FREEZPORT, ILLINOIS.

BOX-GAR DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 19115.

Application filed September 19, 1914. Serial No. 862,509.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN P. MtiLLnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Freeport, in the county of Stephenson and State of Illinois, have invented a newand useful Box-Car Door, of which the following is a specification.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a car door, and one object of the present invention is to provide a means whereby at the will of an operator, the door may be disengaged from one of its supporting rollers and be swung outwardly at its lower end.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel latch mechanism for holding the door in a closed position.

It is within the scope of the invention to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the present invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows the invention in side elevation, parts being broken away; Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective of the striking plate; Fig. 4 is a sectional detail enlarged from Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a sectional detail enlarged from Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a perspective view delineating the arched latch which is employed for connecting the door to the hanger; Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the stud-carrying plate which is assembled with the rear edge of the door; Fig. 8 is a perspective of the roller support or hanger.

1n the accompanying drawings there is shown a supporting structure in the form of a car 1 having a doorway 2. Extended along the outer wall of the car 1 above the doorway and rearwardly beyond the doorway'are tracks 3 and 4, shown to best advantage in Figs. 1 and 4. A guard 5 is mounted upon the outer surface of the car 1 and overhangs the tracks 3 and 4. Secured to the lower portion of the car 1 to one side or at the rear of the doorway 2 are tracks 6 and 7.

The door is denoted by the numeral 9. Hinges 10 are attached to the door 9 and pro ect upwardly above the upper edge of the door. Mounted upon the upper portions of the hinges 10 and located above the upper edge of the door 9 are rollers 11 which are adapted to bear upon and traverse the track 8, the upper track 4 overhanging the outer faces of the rollers 11 as clearly shown in Flg. 4. Mounted upon the door 9 adjacent its lower edge is a handle 12, whereby the door may he slid parallel to the side wall of the car 1, or be swung outwardly upon the hinges 10. A support 14 is secured to the door 9 adjacent the lower, forward corner thereof, and pivotally mounted upon the support 14 is a latch 15 mounted to move beneath a vertically disposed keeper 16 secured to the door 9. At its forward end, the latch 15 terminates in a depending portion 1.7 adapted to traverse the inclined flange 18 of a striking plate 19 which is secured to the car 1 below the door opening 2. In the flange 18 of the striking plate, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, is formed a slot 20 which the depending end 17 of the latch 15 is adapted to enter, when the door is slid to a closed position. The extremity of the portion 17 of the latch 15 is provided with a shoulder 21 adapted to lock beneath the flange 18. In the lower extremity of the part 17 of the latch 16 there is formed an opening 22 which is adapted to receive a car seal (not shown). So far as concerns the structure above described, it will be understood that when the door 9 is slid to a closed position, the lower end of the portion 17 of the latch 15 will ride upwardly on the inclined flange 18 of the striking plate 19 and ultimately will drop through the opening 20 in the flange 18, the shoulder 21 engaging beneath the flange 18. After the parts have been positioned as above described, and as shown in Fig. 1, the car seal (not shown) may be insorted through the opening 22 in the part 17 of the latch, the seal cooperating with the outstanding flange 18 of the striking plate 19, to prevent a lifting of the latch 15.

The invention includes a hanger or guide in the form of a bar 23 equipped at its lower end with a laterally projecting ear 24 having, as shown in Fig. 8, an opening 25 adapted to receive a shaft 26 supporting a roller 27. The roller 27 bears upon the lower track 7 and is engaged laterally by the track 6, as shown in Fig. 5. A guard 28 incloses the tracks 6 and 7 and slides thereon, the guard 28 being slidably received 1n a keeper 29 mounted on the car 1 adjacent the extremities of the tracks 6 and 7.. The guard 28 is carried at one end by the shaft 26. In the hanger 23 are formed openings 30 adapted to receive studs 31 formed on a plate 32 which isattached to the rear upright edge of the door 9.

Mounted on the door 9 is a bracket 33 equipped with an outstanding flange 34 in which is mounted to rotate and to slide vertically, one arm 35 of a 'U-shaped latch 36, the other arm of which is denoted by the numeral 37. The arm 35 of the latch 36 is equipped at its lower end with an enlarged head 38., which, cooperating with the flange 34: of the bracket 33 tends to limit the upward movement of the latch 36. The lower extremity of the arm 37 of the arched bracket 36 is formed into a flat plate or blade 39, having a seal-receiving opening 10. In one of the studs 31 there is formed, as shown in Fig. 7 a slot 11 which is adapted to receive the blade 39. I

When the door 9 is slid to and fro, parallel to the side wall of the car 1, the studs 31 extend through the openings 30 in the h. nger or guide 23, the blade 39 on the arm 37 of the latch 36 extends downwardly through the opening 41 in one of the studs, and a seal (not shown) is inserted through the opening 40, below the stud 31, which is provided with the opening 41. Should the cargo be jammed against the inner face of the door 9 so that the door cannot be slid readily parallel to the sidewall of the car 1, the seal which lies in the opening is 7 broken and the arched latch 36 is raised so that the blade 39 thereof no longer is engaged in the slot d0 of the stud 31 which is attached to the rear edge of the door 9 b means of the plate 32. Then, the latch 3 is turned around to the left, referring to Fig. 1, until an offset 42 which is formed at the juncture between the arm 37 and the body portion of the latch 36 no longer extends across the edge of the hanger 23. Then, the hanger or guide 23 together with the roller 27 and the guard 28 are slid to the right in Fig. 1, until the studs 31 on the door no longer engage in the openings 30 of the hanger 23. Then, when the latch 15 is disengaged from the striking plate 19, the door 9 may be swung outwardly in a vertical direction, the same pivoting upon the hinges 10.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a device of the class described, a supporting structure having a doorway; a main track on the supporting structure; a door mounted on the main track to slide therealong and to swing thereon; an auxiliary track on the supporting structure; a guide having means to engage the auxiliary track; slidably, whereby the guide may be moved on the auxiliary track independently of the door and away from the door and detachably interengaged securing elements on the door and the guide, said elements coacting to prevent a swinging of the door and being separable by the movement of the guide on the auxiliary track independently of the door.

2. In a device of the class described, a supporting structure having a doorway; a main track on the supporting structure above the doorway; a door mounted on the main track to slide therealong and to swing thereon; an auxiliary track on the supporting structure below the doorway and to one side of the doorway; an upright guide mounted to move longitudinally of the auxiliary track, independently of the door, the guide lying movably along one edge of the door; and a latch mechanism for securing the guide to said edge of the door.

3. In a device of the class described, a supporting structure having a doorway; a main track on the supporting structure; a door mounted on the main track to slide therealong and to swing thereon; an auxiliary track on the supporting structure; a guide having means to engage with the auxiliary track; a shield secured to the guide and housing the auxiliary track, the shield being substantially equal in length to the auxiliary track; and means for detachably securing the guide to the door.

4. In a device of the class described, a supporting structure having a doorway; a main track on the supporting structure; a door mounted on the main track to slide therealong and to swing thereon; an auxiliary track on the supporting structure; a guide having means to engage the auxiliary track; interengaging elements on the door and the guide; and door carried latch mechanism extended across the guide and interlocked with that interengaging element which is upon the door.

5. In a device of the class described, a supporting structure having a doorway; a main track on the supporting structure; a door mounted on the main track to slide therealong and to swing thereon; an auxiliary track on the supporting structure; abar having an opening; means on the bar for engaging the auxiliary track; a stud on the door and projecting through the opening in the bar, the stud being provided with a slot; and a securing device lodged in the slot.

6. In a device of the class described, a supporting structure having a doorway; a main track on the supporting structure; a door mounted on the main track to slide therealong and to swing thereon; a bracket on the door; an arched latch comprising arms,

tudinally and to rotate in the bracket; a stud projecting from the door and provided with a slot receiving the other arm of the latch; a bar mounted on the stud and located between the door and the last specified arm of the latch; an auxiliary track on the supporting structure; and means carried by the bar for engaging with the auxiliary track.

7. In a device of the class described, a sup porting structure having a doorway; a main track on the supporting structure; a door mounted on the main track to slide therealong and to swing thereon; an auxiliary track on the supporting structure; a guide having means to engage the auxiliary track; slidably and interengaging elements on the door and the guide, the guide being movable independently of the door and parallel to the plane of the door to disengage the said interengaging elements, thereby to permit the door to be swung outwardly.

8. In a device of the class described, a supporting structure having a doorway; a main track on the supporting structure; a door mounted on the main track to slide therealong and to swing thereon; a bracket on the door; an arched latch comprising arms, one of which arms is mounted to slide longitudinally and to rotate in the bracket; a stud projecting from the door, the stud and the other arm of the bracket constituting cooperating elements one of which is provided with an opening adapted to receive the other; a bar mounted on the stud and located between the door and the last specified arm of the latch; an auxiliary track on the supporting structure; and means carried by the bar for engaging the auxiliary track.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto ZLlIlXGd my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN P. MULLER.

Witnesses:

W. N. CRONKRITE, O'rro WAGNER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the C'ommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

